Motor gear-case for electric cars.



No. 678,377. Patented July l6, IQOL W. COX.

MOTOR GEAR CASE FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1900,)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM COX, OF TORONTO, OANADA, ASS IG NOR TO JOHN MAITLAND SMITH AND ALEXANDER MAITLAND SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

MOTOR GEAI R-CASE FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,377, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed December 5, 1900- erial No. 38,787. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM COX, machinist, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor Gear-Cases for Electric Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in motor gear-cases for electric cars, and particularly adapted to electric-motor cars; and the object of the invention is to devise a case which can be readily secured over the gearing between the motor and the axle and which will not be liable to be broken and will yet keep such gearing free from dust while per mitting of a perfect lubrication; and it consists, essentially, of a casing comprising resilient top and bottom peripheral portions, which are connected together intermediately by rigid cross-bars, so as to preferably form a divided casing, the two parts being connected together by suitable bolts through end lugs 'and the envelop covering of canvas or any suitable material impervious to dust and provided with openings for the passage of the axle and shaft of the motor, the parts being constructed and arranged in detail as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a floor of a car broken away to exhibit the axle, wheel, gear-case, and the parts involved in my invention. Fig. 2 is aperspecti've view of the gear-casing complete. Fig. 3 is a view of the divided portions. Fig. 4: is a vertical section through the casing. Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the collars for protecting the canvas which surrounds the axle.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

I A is the axle of the car, and B one of the wheels.

O is the gear-wheel secured on the axle, and D the pinion meshing therewith,both of which are shown partly in full and partly in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The gear-wheel O is secured to the axle and the pinion D on the end of the shaft of the motor, such shaft extending through a sleeve D, forming part of the bearing of the motor and of the motor-casing E.

r F is the upper portion of the metallic portion of the motor-casing, and F the lower porspring-steel.

tion. The upper portion comprises the irre ular arc-shaped band f, which is provided at the ends with the lugs 2 and 3 and is con,- nected together at such ends by the double cross-bars 4, which at the end straddle the lugs and are provided intermediate of their length with the arc-shaped portions 5 and 6, designed to straddle the axle and shaft of the motor, respectively. The lower half of the metallic portion of the casing comprises the bandf, end lugs 2 3, and double connecting-bars 4, provided with the arc-shaped portions 5 and 6, respectively, such portions F being formed correspondingly to the upper portion in every particular. The bands f and f at the upper and lower portions of the casing are of resilient metal, preferably The two portions F and F are placed together over the axle of the car and shaft of the motor, so that the connectingportions F and F, which they are designed to fit closely, so as to close in the sides. The canvas coverings G and G are preferably permeated with a suitable liquid, so as to prevent the oil in the bearings of the motor leaking from the same, and are also preferably secured in position by the hooks b b, which are attached to the adjacent edges of the canvas and pass through grooves 7 in the divided collar 8, the hooks straddling the divided collar, as indicatedin Fig. 4:. It will thus be seen that the canvas is held down taut to the connecting-bars at and 4:. Of course I do not wish to limit myself to the exact means for holding the edges of the canvas covering down to the cross-bars 4 and 4., as any other suitable fastening device may be employed which will effect this purpose. It is, however, essential that the sides be completely incased, so that the openings are left only for the passage of the axle and the shaft or bearing of the motor, and it is by this means that a waste of oil is prevented.

At the bottom of the portion F, I provide an arc-shaped strip F of any flexible material, which is of course made, preferably, very thin, so as not to interfere with the flexibility of the bottom of the gear-casing. The gearcasing is secured in position by means of the bars H, which extend from the bolt i" to the frame of the motor, and by the bracket I, which is secured to one of the supportingbearings J of the motor on the axle and is connected to the gear-casing by means of the screw-pin K, which extends through a hole in the upper end of the bracket 1, such bracket being secured in position by the nut on the end of the screw-pin K.

Having now described the principal parts involved in my invention, I shall briefly describe the utility of the device.

Heretofore motors have been made with gear-casings of malleable iron or cast-iron. The gear-casing, being necessarily located very close to the surface of the road-bed, frequently came in contact with obstructions and caused frequent breakages in the gear-casing, necessitating a great deal of expense not only in providing new gear-casings, but also in the costofremovingthem. Mygear-casing,however, is comprised of resilient top and bottom bands or sections and a flexible covering enveloping the same and suitably connected together, preferably on a horizontal plane. By this construction it will be seen that should the gear-casing strike an obstruction going either way the band f will naturally recede or bend, so as to pass such obstruction, the limit of such recession being only the gear itself.

Another advantage derived from my construction resides in the fact that in the jolting of the car the bottom of the car would frequently strike the top of the gear-casings and also cause a breakage of a cast gear-case as formerly made; but it will be necessarilyseen that in my invention no such breakage can occur on account of the resilient properties of the spring-band f, which will recede also at the top without any danger of breaking.

At the bottom of the gear-casing I provide, as hereinbefore intimated,an arc-shaped band or strip f which is preferably Wider than the gear-casing and is designed to form a protection for the canvas covering or envelop, so as to prevent its being gradually worn out by its striking obstructions.

Necessarily as the side faces of the motorcasing are formed of flexible material such material will not interfere with the freedom of movement of the bands in their resilient action when meeting an obstruction.

For the purpose of oiling I provide an openingwhich is provided with a suitable covering 9.

I find in practice also that my gear-casing is specially serviceable for the perfect lubrication of the gear, as when the car passes over obstructions or intersecting points the resiliency of the bottom band is such that it will vibrate suificiently so as to throw the oil at the bottom of the casing up against the gear, which would not be the case in an ordinary rigid casing. By this means thegrease or other lubricant is saved and the life of the gear materially increased. Instead of connecting the two parts together by bolts one end of the upper band might be hinged to the corresponding end of the lower band and the other ends suitably connected together, or both ends might be connected by hinged joints.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination with the axle and gearwheel secured thereto and the motor and gearpinion meshing with the aforesaid gear-wheel, of a gear-casing provided with a resilient lower band and a flexible covering or envelop for the casing designed to form the sides of the casing and provided with holes for the passage of the axle and motor-shaft as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with the axle and gearwheel secured thereto and the motor and gearpinion meshing with the aforesaid geanwheel, of a gear-casing provided with a resilient upper band and a flexible covering or envelop for the casing designed to form the sides of the casing and provided with holes for the passage of the axle and motor-shaft as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with the axle and gearwheel secured thereto and the motor and gearpinion meshing with the aforesaid gear-wheel, of a gear-casing formed in two parts and consisting of upper and lower resilient bands and connecting-bars for maintaining them in an arc-shaped form and means for connecting the two portions together and a suitable flexible covering for the two parts as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination with the axle and gearwheelsecured thereto and the motor and gearpinion meshing with the aforesaid gear-wheel, of a gear-casing formed in two parts and consistin g of upper and lower resilient bands and connecting bars provided with are shaped portions to admit of the passage of the axle and shaft and designed to maintain the bands in an arc-shaped form and means for connecting the two portions together and a suitable flexible covering for the two parts as and for the purpose specified.

5. A gear-casing comprising the substantially arc-shaped upper and lower resilient bands,the end lugs connected to same,the connecting-bars for each band, the bolts securing the end lugs together and a flexible covering for same as and for the purpose specified.

6. A gear-casing comprising the substantially arc-shaped upper and lower resilient bands,the end lugs connected to same,the connecting-bars for each band, the bolts securing the end lugs together and a flexible covering for each portion extending down to the edge of the connecting bars and provided with hooks designedto hook over the bars as and for the purpose specified.

7. A gear-casing comprising a resilient peripheral band, means for holding such band normally rigid and a flexible covering suitably secured to the band and designed to close openings for the passage of the rotating axle to or shaft and a suitable protecting arc-shaped piece designed to fit at the bottom of the band as and for the purpose specified.

WVILLIAM COX.

Witnesses:

B. BOYD, L. TRIMBLE. 

